Pope Leo XIV dedicated his General Audience yesterday to the dignity of the human person, urging Christians to defend it in every circumstance with “the light and strength of the Gospel”. Source: Vatican News.
Continuing his reflections on the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, the Pope said recognition of fundamental human rights represents one of the most important achievements in human history.
However, he warned, humanity’s journey towards the full recognition of human dignity remains incomplete, since old and new contradictions continue to obstruct it.
Pope Leo said the Church contributes to this journey by recalling that dignity arises from the very being of each person.
Quoting his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, he stressed that every human being is “planned and willed by God” for communion with him, with others and with creation.
“Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made,” he said. “Instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of his unfailing love.”
The Pope explained that this infinite dignity is rooted in humanity’s creation in the image of God.
Christ, he added, reveals the ultimate foundation of this dignity by revealing humanity to itself and making known to us our highest calling.
Pope Leo went on to say that human dignity can never be understood in isolation.
“To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared, growing and maturing through acceptance, reciprocity and service,” he said.
Dignity therefore entails both personal responsibility and solidarity with others. It calls for mutual care and for resistance to the many forms of manipulation that distort the understanding of the human person.
The Pope acknowledged that humanity remains wounded by sin and divided within itself, caught in a struggle between good and evil.
Yet, he said, Christians can face this fragility with hope because Christ came to free, strengthen and renew humanity from within.
Citing Gaudium et Spes, Pope Leo also rejected any separation between body and soul, recalling that the human person “though made of body and soul, is one”.
Treating the body as an object that can be used or disposed of arbitrarily, he said, constitutes a denial of human dignity.
The body must instead be regarded as good and worthy of honour, since it was created by God and destined for resurrection.
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Pope at Audience: Human dignity must always be defended as God’s gift (By Devin Watkins, Vatican News)
